HP CapShare

Region

United States; United Kingdom

Associated With

Hewlett-Packard Company - developer and seller

Defining Feature

Battery-powered handheld document capture

Status

Discontinued - range ended before HP left Greeley in 2003

Overview

HP CapShare was a handheld document-capture family designed for scanning papers away from a desk.

The 910 went on sale in December 1998. Users swept the battery-powered scanner across paper, checked an LCD thumbnail and transferred black-and-white document images to another device.

The later CapShare 920 had its own capture instructions. An independent HP-history site places the range’s discontinuation before HP’s departure from Greeley in 2003, but exact withdrawal dates for the two models remain unconfirmed.

Why It Mattered

CapShare made document capture portable, but getting a complete copy still depended on the person moving the scanner. The 920 manual recommended a U-shaped path for Normal and Graphics modes, continuous contact with the paper and checks for gaps between passes. Those instructions show the practical care involved in turning a paper document into a usable digital copy.

From Announcement to Sale

• The October 1998 HP product announcement in HP Professional expected CapShare 910 shipments to begin on 1 December; this was a forecast.
• The Washington Post reported that HP had begun selling the CapShare 910 during December 1998.
• The CapShare 920 Portable E-Copier was a distinct later model, not simply another name for the 910.

A Hands-on Scan

• The 910 used a free-form swiping motion and showed a thumbnail of the captured page on its LCD.
• For the 920’s Normal and Graphics modes, the user guide recommends a U-shaped path while keeping contact with the page.
• The 920 guide tells users to check for gaps where scan paths failed to overlap, and warns that high-gloss or very dark surfaces can be difficult to capture.

Transfer, Development and Withdrawal

• The 910 stored black-and-white document images as PDFs and offered serial or infrared transfer, but did not perform OCR or PDA functions itself.
• Development was led through HP’s Portable Capture and Communication operation in Greeley, Colorado, with collaboration from HP Labs in Palo Alto and Bristol.
• An independent HP-history site places the range’s discontinuation before HP left Greeley in 2003; individual withdrawal dates for the 910 and 920 are not established.

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